2008 Woodie Awards
Hall councils exercise power
Daniel Zeilstra
Issue date: 11/3/05 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
If you live in the residence halls, you are being looked out for by many people, including your residence hall council.
Most students have little idea what the hall councils do, yet they play an integral part of daily life in the residence halls. All funding decisions concerning a residence hall must first go through the hall council.
Last year hall councils took the place of the area governing boards, said Jamie Van Boxel, hall director for Nattinger.
"One of the problems with the area governing boards was that they covered multiple halls," he said. "In spring 2004, USHA decided to create hall councils to replace the west side area governing board. It was a success, and it spring 2005, the Ellis hall council was created from the east side area governing board."
A hall council's executive board is made up of a president, treasurer, secretary, a USHA representative and two student representatives from each floor of the building. Some buildings also have vice presidents.
So what does a hall council do?
"It's a go-between for USHA and the students," said Barb Caldwell, a community advisor (CA) in Yeater. "It's where students go to talk to hall representatives and get ideas out."
The hall councils are there for the students to have a voice, Caldwell said. Students bring up issues such as turning on the heat, dining hall issues, fund raisers for the floor, programming on the floor and whether there is enough money for them.
"Students have a more direct voice in what happens," Van Boxel said. "They haven't realized how strong that voice is yet."
Caldwell said Yeater holds a lot of programming. She said flip-flop decoration and breast-cancer awareness were some of the building's most popular offerings.
"If the hall council wants to do programming, it's independent of the CA," Caldwell said. "CA's play very little part in hall councils."
Community advisors, though they are not allowed to vote, have reason to attend the council meetings.
"CA's are there to support their residents," said Laura Alison Gold, the community advisor on third floor Nickerson. Last year, she was first a floor representative and then secretary for the South Yeater hall council. Now she sits in on Nickerson meetings.
Alison Gold said it is easy to be a floor representative, a voting position. Usually floors need representatives. In Nickerson, if a student wants to be a representative, all they have to do is contact on of the executive board members posted at their front desk, she said.
"They vote for the ideas of their floor," Alison Gold said. "TVs for the floor, cleaning and cooking supplies get brought up."
"Students vote on what to purchase with the money from the activity stickers," Van Boxel said.
The idea of hall councils is catching on with students, but the opportunity for expansion remains. "It's still in the growing stages," Van Boxel said.
Most students have little idea what the hall councils do, yet they play an integral part of daily life in the residence halls. All funding decisions concerning a residence hall must first go through the hall council.
Last year hall councils took the place of the area governing boards, said Jamie Van Boxel, hall director for Nattinger.
"One of the problems with the area governing boards was that they covered multiple halls," he said. "In spring 2004, USHA decided to create hall councils to replace the west side area governing board. It was a success, and it spring 2005, the Ellis hall council was created from the east side area governing board."
A hall council's executive board is made up of a president, treasurer, secretary, a USHA representative and two student representatives from each floor of the building. Some buildings also have vice presidents.
So what does a hall council do?
"It's a go-between for USHA and the students," said Barb Caldwell, a community advisor (CA) in Yeater. "It's where students go to talk to hall representatives and get ideas out."
The hall councils are there for the students to have a voice, Caldwell said. Students bring up issues such as turning on the heat, dining hall issues, fund raisers for the floor, programming on the floor and whether there is enough money for them.
"Students have a more direct voice in what happens," Van Boxel said. "They haven't realized how strong that voice is yet."
Caldwell said Yeater holds a lot of programming. She said flip-flop decoration and breast-cancer awareness were some of the building's most popular offerings.
"If the hall council wants to do programming, it's independent of the CA," Caldwell said. "CA's play very little part in hall councils."
Community advisors, though they are not allowed to vote, have reason to attend the council meetings.
"CA's are there to support their residents," said Laura Alison Gold, the community advisor on third floor Nickerson. Last year, she was first a floor representative and then secretary for the South Yeater hall council. Now she sits in on Nickerson meetings.
Alison Gold said it is easy to be a floor representative, a voting position. Usually floors need representatives. In Nickerson, if a student wants to be a representative, all they have to do is contact on of the executive board members posted at their front desk, she said.
"They vote for the ideas of their floor," Alison Gold said. "TVs for the floor, cleaning and cooking supplies get brought up."
"Students vote on what to purchase with the money from the activity stickers," Van Boxel said.
The idea of hall councils is catching on with students, but the opportunity for expansion remains. "It's still in the growing stages," Van Boxel said.